The sea eagle nesting has been exceptionally successful this summer. Kristinn Haukur Skarphédinsson, ornithologist at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, said that 47 nests have been spotted, a new record.
Arnarfjördur (“Eagle Fjord”) in the West Fjords. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
However, there are fewer nests than eagle couples who claim freehold, which Skarphédinsson believes to be around 65, Morgunbladid reports.
“The weather conditions for eagle nesting in west Iceland have been good and we could say that the outlook is unusually bright,” Skarphédinsson said.
Some eagle chicks have already hatched and more and more chicks will hatch in the coming days. The situation of the eagle nesting grounds will be reviewed again at the end of June.
Sea eagles are among the rarest nesting birds in Iceland. The species was almost exterminated in the early 20th century but was declared a protected species around 1920.
Since 1964 the number of eagles has slowly been increasing and by 2005, the eagle stock counted 65 adult couples, as it says on Arnarvefurinn, the eagle information website.
It is possible to pay to watch an eagle couple by Reykhólar through an online webcam on discovericeland.is, established by Bergsveinn Ragnarsson and Signý M. Jónsdóttir at the farm Gróustadir by Gilsfjördur fjord.
